Avenging Angel
by anime animal
Summary: After fifteen years, an emergency causes Tails to return to Angel Island to seek out Sonic's daughter, but is someone else after her too?
1. Prologue

Avenging Angel

by anime animal

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog is property of Sega. Not anime animal. She did once win a little plastic Sonic toy from a cracker when she was about eight, but that is a different story...

A.N: The bulk of them will come later, but this bit is just me saying thanks to Orin, whose help has been invaluable with this first bit. Orin, I still stand by my judgement. You rock. Read her stuff and see if you agree.

Prologue

Amidst the steady downpour of rain and the occasional rumble of thunder, the only sounds that could be heard one dark night in one of the forest areas of Angel Island were the harsh gasps for breath being emitted by a lone figure as he ran through the trees like a creature possessed. Despite the cold and the wet he carried on, ignoring the branches that whipped in his face and the way that his heart was hammering erratically against his chest, almost as if it would burst. 

But he couldn't stop, not yet.

The black night sky was darker than usual, even for a storm. The only light came from the occasional fork of lightning that lit the sky with a fluorescent harshness. The atmosphere was almost darker than the weather itself.

Hastily the runner sped through the rain, limping heavily and shivering with fatigue, almost painfully aware of the crimson trails he left in muddy puddles of water behind him.**_ Another vicious fork of lightning flashed across the heavens, illuminating the land, casting the outline of a single hut in hues of white and grey for an instant._**

There, then gone. 

At the sight of this, the soaked traveller quickened his pace, slipping in the mud and tripping over tree roots in his haste to reach his destination. At his arrival, a gloved hand rapped at the door, his sodden body trembling from cold and exhaustion. 

The door opened a crack, warm light surging out into the drenched landscape, illuminating a miserable vision. A second later, it was flung wide, all caution abandoned, and the echidna behind it gave a horrified gasp. Recognition flooded her sapphire eyes as they widened in shock.

"Tails! Merciful heavens, what has happened?"

No words were needed as the injured kitsune limped into Tikal's home, cradling something wrapped in a dark piece of cloth against his body, his attention fixed solely on this unknown treasure as he panted for breath.

Tikal was already fetching blankets and had hung a kettle over the hearth to boil. She turned briefly to steal a glimpse at her friend and paled upon seeing the full extent of his injuries. The white markings on his chest and face were tinged pink, and from behind the bundle in his arms a deep, open gash was bleeding freely. Half of his right ear had been torn off, the remaining flesh jagged and swollen and coated with dried blood. The wound that caused Tikal the most concern was an unseen injury to his left eye that had been covered with a makeshift bandage that had once been white. It was now stained scarlet and darkening.

"They're all gone," he said quietly, looking up at Tikal with anguish painted across his face. "Amy, Rouge, Knuckles..."

Tikal froze and felt her heart stop beating as her eyes went wide in disbelief.

"No..."

"He killed Sonic."  His tone was distracted as he hugged the bundle closer to him, cradling it for all his worth. "Sonic is dead. Sonic-" 

Tails blinked once, slowly. 

"He killed Sonic," he said again.

 His legs buckled suddenly and Tikal rushed forward, hugging him as he knelt, noticing for the first time that one of his tails was bent unnaturally and that his right ankle was swollen.

"I know this is hard, but you must tell me what happened," she said softly.

Tails' eye stared straight ahead at an invisible point on the wall while he spoke, his voice quiet and trembling slightly. 

"We were at Sonic's, waiting for Rouge. There was a noise."

He frowned, and then went on.

"We went outside, to see what- Rouge was-" 

Tikal felt a lump rise in her throat.

"Dead?" she whispered.

The look Tails gave her was confirmation enough.

"There was a Death-bot, it dropped her. It was going- But Sonic- Knuckles, they..."

He swallowed hard, his voice shaking uncontrollably. "They went after, Amy wanted to go too but Sonic- He said- told her to stay. So I went. Amy was back at the house. We left her behind. Told her to stay there."

He closed his eyes and looked down at the bundle again.

"There was an explosion."

He didn't need to say anymore, Tikal knew from the look on his face what had happened.

"Sonic. He lost it. We- Knuckles and me, we tried to keep up. But he's Sonic. We couldn't. We weren't fast enough."

He shuddered.

"We watched him die."

Tikal saw the horror on the fox's face, she saw the pain and what sadly looked like guilt.

"Then they came for us... He told me to run. Knuckles. So I did. I ran. And when I looked back… Knuckles was... He was down."

An unnoticed tear trickled down Tikal's cheek as she shook her head.

"Oh Tails..."

"They fired at me then. I can't see with this." He indicated his bandaged eye. "Not now."

Tikal jumped as a rumble of thunder caused the wooden hut to shudder. But Tails still sat on the floor, motionless.

"They knew I'd turn, y'know? They fired, and they stopped me from flying. A trap. All of it. My tail is broken. So I ran. I didn't know where else to go, so I ran back to the house…"

He looked at the shocked look on Tikal's face and put a damp hand on top of hers.

"Knuckles said- He told me he's sorry. Because he couldn't keep his promise."

Tikal bit her bottom lip, determined not to cry, but to no avail. The tears fell anyway.

It was at that moment that the bundle in Tails' arms moved. 

Tikal jumped in alarm and stared at it in surprise. 

"Tails, what is that?"

The bundle squirmed again and the blankets fell away, revealing a very small, wriggling creature. The echidna stared at it in horror.

"How? Wha-?"

The squirming creature was nothing less than a tiny sky-blue infant hedgehog who was staring intently at the fox and echidna with confused green eyes.

"I got back to the house. I could hear screaming. There was rubble everywhere. I dug… When I found Amy, she was still alive."

"You mean this is..?" Tikal began, staring at the hedgehog again. 

"Amy was protecting her. Through everything… There isn't a scratch on her, because Amy protected her. I watched Amy die too. She asked me to take of her…"

All of a sudden Tails' slouched form sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with terror as he subconsciously drew the baby hedgehog closer to him.

"I can't take care of her Tikal, they'll come after me and then they'll find her and they'll kill her!"

"But she's just a baby, she hasn't done anything..."

"She's Sonic's. That's enough," he snarled. "Galateaus can't afford to let her live. Not when she's Sonic's. If she's like him- I can't let them get her. I can't!"

"What makes you so sure she'll be safe here?" Tikal asked, looking at the small child who was sucking her thumb and staring at them. "I can't protect her..."

"Galateaus doesn't know you, so he won't find you," Tails replied. "She'll be safe here."

"But what if someone followed you?"

"They didn't. I made sure they didn't," he said firmly. "You can't turn your back on this. You have to help. She's all I- we have left. Sonic. Amy. They're all gone. Amy asked me to protect her, and Amy's gone, so I'll be damned if I'm going to turn my back. You can't turn yours, Tikal. You can't. Not to this. Not to her. To them…"

Thunder clashed outside the hut as the rain lashed at the window. The baby began to cry, her small face contorted in discomfort and fright. Tikal reached for the child and cradled her close, speaking kindly and soothing her by brushing her immature quills softly with gloved fingertips as she nodded her head.

"I'll take care of her. Knuckles would have done the same."

Tails picked up on the sadness in her voice and didn't follow it through.

"I better go, there's something I have to do."

Tikal looked at him critically.

"You can't go anywhere the shape you're in, and look at that storm!"

Tails shook his head.

"I can't stay here. They could find me. Find her. I- I'll contact you. And when she's older, I'll come back. I promise."

Tikal nodded.

"Whatever happens, be careful. Don't do anything foolish, however justified your actions may be."

Tails sighed sadly and hugged Tikal before stooping to kiss the baby on the head. She murmured in surprise and looked at the fox quizzically as tears began to fall from his eyes. 

"You look so much like your dad. Be a good girl for your Aunt Tikal and I'll see you really soon, OK?"

As a response, she giggled and kicked at the blankets.

"Take care of yourself Tails," Tikal said softly. "Don't die."

Tails nodded weakly and then cast one last glance at the small hedgehog.

"Goodbye Daisy."

As soon as the door was shut behind him, Tikal's composure slipped and she began to cry as though her heart would break as the kettle began to whistle loudly on the hearth

_to be continued..._

A.N: OK, that was evil of me. No, it was beyond evil. It was demonic. But, I couldn't resist it. Um, anyway, I will update if people like what they have read and want me to continue, because I want to continue with it anyway. However, if any of you have read any of my Zelda fiction (shameless self-promotion...) then you will know my situation. If you haven't...

I go to boarding school and am rarely allowed out for longer than a weekend, making writing time scarce. And at school, the only stuff I can write are essays. In abundance. So, updates from me are few and infrequent. 

Until the holidays.

So, if anyone wants more, then more may come this week 'cause I'm on holiday. After that, updates are sparse until the Christmas holidays. But until then, feel free to review and tell me what you think. And be brutally honest. But if you threaten to kill me, be warned that my Chao are trained to kill... Actually they're not, but one of them is frickin' scary...


	2. The Age of the Overlord

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all his associates belong to Sega. However, a surprising amount of the characters in this fic belong to me, and if you feel like borrowing them then go ahead, but ask me nicely otherwise I'll send the world's creepiest Chao after you...

Chapter 1: The Age of the Overlord

A.N: Well, after an extremely long time (for which I apologise profusely) I have gotten round to updating this. We have more doom and gloom, and we have an angsty adult Tails and we have some new original characters, which I take full credit for. This will pick up pace and hopefully will become a little more interesting in the following chapters, and I'll get round to writing more as soon as holidays start (less than two weeks away!)

Galateaus Robotnik swirled a deep red liquid around in his glass, a cruel half smile on his thin lips. Ten minutes had seen him accomplish more during his career as a tyrant than his predecessor had done throughout his numerous years.  He cast a disgusted glance an unintelligible shape underneath a piece of canvas and pressed a button on his chair. Almost instantly two robots appeared from a nearby corner, their artificial and soulless eyes fixed on the large form of the humanoid figure.

"Get that out of here before it starts to stink."

Silently the machines obeyed, hovering away with the canvas. With a strange, muffled sound, a lifeless arm fell from the folds of the material, swaying limply with the movements of the robots. The pale flesh was stained red, as was a formerly pristine white glove that was now unmistakably coloured with blood.

Galateaus raised his wine glass to the retreating object and then drained it, smiling satisfactorily to himself before placing the crystal-ware on a table beside him. He pressed another button on the monstrous keyboard before him and almost simultaneously a video monitor flickered to life.

"Have you located our little problem?" he asked darkly.

A long haired grey cat with vast but evil amber eyes shook her head on the other end of the line.

"No sir, as of yet the annoyance has yet to be discovered but we _are on his trail."_

Galateaus gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists.

"You had better not fail me Mirage."

Mirage shook her head again, strands of smoky coloured hair swaying about her beautiful face.

"It might interest you to know that he's been back to the house. He destroyed the robots you'd posted there."

"And?" Galateaus growled. 

"And it appeared that he found the bodies of Amy and the brat and buried them. There's a grave," Mirage responded with a sadistic smile on her lips. "You don't ever have to worry about hedgehogs ever again."

Galateaus closed the communications port and leant back against his chair, clasping his hands together and drumming his fingers on their backs. A dry chuckle emitted itself from his throat as he found himself looking up at an image on one of the numerous monitors before him.

"Well 'father', it would appear that you really were as incompetent as that hedgehog claimed. But no matter. If you hadn't removed that tiny shred of a conscience from the heart you gave me then maybe I too would have floundered."

He reached out for a keyboard and opened a file on his computer, typing with almost inhuman speed and efficiency the word 'DECEASED' five times on five separate files, pausing only with one that brought up the image of a cobalt blue hedgehog whose eyes burned into him with irrepressible emerald fire. Again, that same crooked smile crossed the lips of the man and he chuckled for a second time before he typed the final D.

"But unlike you, Ivo, _I am perfect."_

He pressed the enter button on the keyboard and watched as the image of Sonic the Hedgehog was replaced by a blank screen.

"And now, the age of the Overlord begins."__

_******_

A pair of gloved hands trembled uncontrollably as the statement flew around Scarlet's head.

Her sister was dead.

The only person she felt she could turn to, the same person who had practically raised her was dead. She couldn't remember their parents, she had been too young when they died to remember even what they looked like. But her sister kept the memory alive for her, looked out for her in everything that she did and made sure that anyone who ever harmed her was more sorry for that than anything they ever did in their life. Even without a mother or father, Scarlet had been cared for, protected, loved.

And now, she was alone.

Anger flared up inside her like wildfire, burning at her with a rage that she struggled to suppress.

"Why did she die? Why did they kill her?" 

The only thing that heard her questions was a purple Chao, whose expression mirrored the young bat's to within an inch of perfection. Tentatively, it placed a small purple paw on Scarlet's leg and whimpered sadly. She looked down at the mournful figure of Rouge's Chao and scooped her into her lap, smoothing the fur on the creature's head soothingly.

"You don't know either, do you Koorime?"

The Chao shook her head and snuggled up against Scarlet's body while the bat absent-mindedly stroked her fur, finding its softness comforting.

"We'll find out together, and we'll get whoever did this," Scarlet said venomously. "They'll wish they _never set eyes on Rouge the Bat, or her family." ___

_******_

_Ten years later_

With a mighty explosion, a vast badger tore from the site of the commotion with a trembling black mole underneath his arms.

"Th-that w-w-was too close," the mole stammered. 

The badger grunted in affirmation and continued to run. He knew that within moments the area would be crawling with Swat-bots, and while these were less dangerous than Death-bots, he knew that he wouldn't be able to face a full troop of them alone. Digby Burrows might have been a fantastic reconnaissance expert, but as a fighter the little mole was less than talented.

"Pie, Digby, report on your position," a voice crackled over Digby's radio.

Digby eagerly responded via his own radio.

"Well, we're running back to the tunnel, and there are more than probably going to be a whole bunch of bots coming after us."

The voice at the other end of the line paused.

"Keep them away from the tunnel at all costs, we can't afford to let them get to Foxwood."

Digby squeaked as a laser flashed in front of him and the Pie.

"It seems we've got company."

"Damn. OK guys, hold them off for a little longer, back up's on it's way."

The radio went dead, and as it did a storm of bullets flew out from the undergrowth, peppering the pursuing bots with deadly accuracy. The Pie flung himself to the ground and crawled along on his belly, still clutching the hapless mole under his arm. With a remarkable amount of speed considering the method of travel, the pair dove into the brush almost exactly beside their back-up. Digby, panting heavily, removed his glasses and began to polish them with a handkerchief he kept in the top pocket of his bottle green waistcoat.

"Boy, am I ever glad to see you!"

The Pie's lips quirked upwards at the irony of the statement. Without his glasses, the mole was totally blind.

The fox looked down at the pair from his seat in the mechanical walker, his face grim.

"Where's April?"

The Pie shook his head sadly and removed a bright red scarf from around his neck.

"They got her before we even knew what was happening," Digby said sadly.

Tails' expression shifted to one of anger.

"He's gone way too far this time! How can I keep letting him get away with this?"

Digby shook his head and looked up at the furious kitsune.

"Professor, it wasn't your fault. April would have fought him even if you'd not let her go, and you are not the one who is doing this."

Tails took the scarf from the Pie and shook his head sadly.

"Let's go home."

The mech began to trudge back in the direction of the tunnel with the others following on foot. The Pie fished inside his shoulder bag and produced something while it shimmered in the dying evening sunlight. Tails turned his head and forced a smile at the sight of the blue Chaos Emerald.

"At least April didn't die for nothing," he said glumly.

The Pie nodded and put it back in his bag.

******

Tamara Prower sat basking in the warmth of a fire with her small cub sleeping soundly on her lap. Her ears twitched at the sound of her husband's arrival and she looked up as he closed the door behind him. To her he looked tired, his face looked longer and more haggard then it usually did. It was easy to mistake him for someone much, much older than a twenty five year old.

"When's it all going to stop, Ara?" he whispered.

Ara shook her head.

"I don't know Tails, I wish I could say but I just don't know."

Tails slumped his lean body down on a chair.

"Are Hazel and Willow alright?"

Ara raised herself slowly, cradling their son against her body.

"Will's too young to know what's going on, but Hazel cried herself to sleep. She'll be alright though, we'll just have to keep an eye on her."

Tails sighed heavily.

"I should never have let her go tonight, never."

Ara sat beside him and squeezed his hand gently.

"Digby said it himself, she would have gone even if you'd expressly forbid it. Not even orders would have kept April away from that mission, you know that."

Tails' eyes rested on an invisible spot over the fireplace, trying to keep the tears from falling. Even after ten years he had still not come to terms with death. Every comrade he lost, every body he saw, they all brought him close to tears.

And they all brought back memories of Sonic.

The cub's eyes opened slowly and blinked sleepily. Tails smiled in spite of himself and stroked his son's head, causing the five year old's eyes to droop and close as sleep washed over him again.

"I wish I could sleep the way he does," Tails said enviously.

Ara looked sadly at her husband and then back at the sleeping fox on her lap.

"In these times, it is hard not to wish for the impossible."

She looked up at the profile of her husband who remained fixated on the invisible point above the hearth.

"It seems just about everything's impossible now."

"You mustn't talk like that Tails. What if the others heard you say that? You're their leader, they take their strength from you."

Tails stood abruptly.

"I'm no leader. I'm a sidekick. I'm..."

He was cut quiet by a finger putting itself to his lips and found himself staring into Ara's warm grey eyes.

"You are what you make yourself, and you have your own destiny to fulfil."

She kissed his cheek and stood.

"I'm going to put T.J to bed and then go myself. Don't torture yourself all night my love."

Tails picked Ara's shawl up from the seat and placed it over her shoulders.

"I won't be long."

He kissed the top of T.J's head and watched his wife walk to their room. For a few moments he remained in the room before he left the hut and made his way into the night air. 

The living quarters of the small group of freedom fighters consisted of a circular group of huts, each with thatched roofs and a small chimney. The largest was the hut belonging to Tails and his family, although the size was attributed to the workshop where the kitsune worked on his inventions. The next biggest was the hut where the Nutkin family lived. It was there that Tails was headed.

He entered the hut with a heavy step, and it became heavier when he saw two small squirrels huddled up together on the largest bunk, the larger clutching the smaller close against her. She was sleeping deeply, although Tails was not blind enough to notice the still damp track of a tear against her fur.

"Did Ara give her something to help her sleep?"

The Pie looked up from his silent vigil and nodded. Tails sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking sadly at the brother and sister through his one good eye. Willow, the youngest at six, was a rich red colour like his father while Hazel, the ten year old grey squirrel who hugged her brother against her body, looked exactly like April, their mother.

"They shouldn't have to be orphaned like this. No-one should."

The Pie lowered his eyes and shook his head.

Hazel was ten years old.  

"Daisy would be about the same age as her now."

The Pie looked up at the fox quizzically, which was when Tails realised that he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

"Forget I said anything."

******

Several Chao were gathered around a pool one morning, disturbing the tranquil silence with soft splashes and the occasional gurgle of laughter and Chao chatter. The leader of the group, a swimmer by the name of Kotei, splashed contentedly in the pool while a pair of identical immature females dozed nearby underneath a bush. The lead female, a beautiful flyer with golden wings preened her feathers on a nearby rock as a sky blue running Chao named Kami was watching a second sky blue creature who dangled her feet into the crystal clear water, allowing small silver fish to slither between her toes. A small smile crossed her face and she giggled, alerting the Chao with her sudden noise. 

"It's OK guys, it's only me." 

The child giggled, swishing her legs about in the pool and causing small waves that sent the swimming Chao bobbing up and down.

"Daisy?"

The small hedgehog got up, brushing the dirt off her white dress and picking up her sandals as she called out.

"I'm over here Aunt Tikal."

The Chao instantly looked up as the echidna approached the pool and stopped whatever they were doing to run in her direction. Tikal smiled and then looked across at Daisy, whose attention was fixated on an egg perched on top of a rock.

"It still hasn't hatched?"

Daisy shook her head.

"Nope. Do you think it's asleep in there or something?"

Tikal laughed softly and joined her foster daughter by the rock, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"You're so impatient! You don't need to worry about it hatching, it'll happen when you least expect it."

Daisy smiled and looked at the echidna through a familiar pair of emerald eyes.

"Is there something you wanted me for?"

"No, just wondering where you were," Tikal replied. "Dinner won't be long, so don't be too late getting back."

"I won't be," Daisy replied, smiling at the echidna. "Don't be late getting it on the table!"

"Cheeky," Tikal reprimanded, although with a slight smile on her face. "Just wait 'til you have a family to cook for, then you won't be so quick with comments like that."

Daisy watched Tikal leave and then turned back to the Chao who were participating with their previous activities.

"Yeah right, like that's ever going to happen. What am I supposed to do, marry one of you guys?"

Megami, the flying Chao, looked at her strangely.

"Well it's not like there's anyone else around here," Daisy grumbled. "I mean, have you ever seen anyone on this island other than me and Aunt Tikal?"

Kotei stopped swimming for a moment and then, for just a second, the young hedgehog could have sworn she saw him nod. She sighed and produced an apple from one of the pockets in her dress. Tikal was frequently telling her not to snack between meals, but Daisy snacked nonetheless, and it never affected her appetite. Nor did it affect her figure, she was as slight and skinny as a rake.

"Hmm," she sighed, chewing thoughtfully on her apple. "D'you guys know that I am ten years old and I have never been off this island?"

Kami cocked his head quizzically to one side.

"It's true! Ten years and I've lived with the same old rules in the same boring old place. 'Never leave the forest Daisy.' 'Don't travel too far Daisy.' 'Never ever run, Daisy.' What's she turning me into, a statue?"

She shrugged and took another bite of her apple.

"But ya know what?" 

She moved closer to the nearest Chao and smiled, petting its head gently so that it made a soft purring sound in the back of its throat.

"I'm not going to stay on this island for long. One day, I'm gonna be a great explorer, and I'll have the kind of adventures that'll be written down in books someday."

She sighed and flopped down onto the grass, looking up at the clouds with a smile on her face.

"Just wait 'n see."

******

R 'n' R if you feel like it, I'd really appreciate it!


	3. Faces from the Past

Disclaimer: *anime animal stuffs Sonic and friends inside her huge school suitcase and sits on top of it while muffled cries for help can be heard* They're mine, all mine I tell you! *Men in white coats move forward to give anime animal her pills.* Nooo! *anime animal snaps out of her trance and lets the hedgehog free.* OK, they're not mine, but it's always fun to dream!

A.N: Back at school, but now with all my stories on hand for working on between the inevitable masses of homework and revision for AS levels.  Haven't seen Daisy yet this term but I think she's hibernating or something... Oh yeah, I forgot. Daisy is actually a real hedgehog who lives in the back garden of my boarding house. Guess who decided to call her that? *beams proudly* 

Chapter 3: Faces from the Past

Once upon a time, the Emerald Forest had been a peaceful and prosperous place to live, its vast trees providing life for all sorts of feral Mobians who lived in harmonious and primative peace. 

The Overlord had erased all of that.

Now the forest was gone, replaced with a barren wasteland that led to an odious mettalic settlement with black and grey smoke billowing into the polluted air around it. The place was simply called Stronghold.

The place was patrolled by armies of Swat and Death-bots, artificial lifeforms with unwavering loyalty to their leader. The Overlord had learnt long ago that if one was to be safe and secure, then one could not afford to have Mobians as minions, be they robotocized or untouched. As a result, all the Mobians in Stronghold were slaves or rotting corpses thrown carelessly onto the mountains of scrap and waste that the city provided. Those who remained free made it their business never to stray too close to the patrolling sentinels or any other robot as they knew all to well that when a Mobian went in, they never came out.

Mirage Mechante however, was not an ordinary Mobian. 

"Sir, reports show that the resistance has managed to take the white Chaos Emerald from the silo. This means that they now have-"

"The blue, the red, the yellow and the white."

Galateaus sat still in his chair, staring at the monitor before him and Mirage's image.

"Why have you allowed this to take place Mirage?"

Mirage's amber eyes narrowed. She loathed criticism.

"With all due respect sir, I didn't _allow _them to take the emerald. I dispatched as many bots as necessary and-"

"No you did not dispatch as many as necessary otherwise you would have stopped them from taking _my _emerald. I do not think I need to remind you what will happen if Prower gets hold of all the emeralds."

"No sir, but even if he was to get all seven-"

"Silence. Sonic was not the only creature capable of using the emeralds to gain a super-form. There only needs to be one super-formed Mobian and everything that I have worked for will face ruin. I cannot afford for that to happen. There is only one option left." 

"And that is?"

The Overlord leant back into his chair and smiled.

"I want you to send Seeker-bots in search of something. Robotnik told me that there existed an emerald that had the power to control the six Chaos Emeralds, we need only to find that emerald and therefore rid ourselves of potential difficulties."

Mirage buffed her claws against her tight leather pants.

"Didn't you kill Knuckles though?" she asked, looking at the newly buffed claws and paying no attention to her master.

Galateaus frowned.

"What does that have to do with it?"

"Well he _was the guardian of the Master Emerald, so he was the _only _one who knew how to use it. Now that he's dead..."_

"Silence! You will send Seeker-bots in search of this Master Emerald and you had better not fail me."

He closed the communications port and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine coming on.

Mirage rolled her eyes and marched back away from the wreckage of the silo where the white Chaos Emerald had once resided.

"Men. Such incompetence really amuses me," she snarled and headed in the direction of the Seeker-bot hangar.

Something lurked in the shadows, watching the cat's every move with narrowed eyes and unwavering concentration. The Chao beside the watcher narrowed its eyes, glowering at the feline as her boots clacked rhythmically along the steel walkway. White fingers touched the Chao's head softly and scratched behind its rounded purple bear's ears.

"Easy. Soon."

Mirage's ears flicked and she paused, looking warily over her shoulder before calling out.

"Anybody who comes too close is gonna get it," she snarled. 

The watcher and the Chao slunk away into the night, leaving Mirage alone with her thoughts and a laser gun primed and ready.

******

Foxwood was alive, as it always was during the early spring months. If one were to look closer, they would see new life bursting from the soil in the form of bright green shoots and beautiful new plants coming into bloom while tranquil birdsong filled the wooded glade with music. 

It was on days such as this that if one were to close their eyes they would forget that the inhabitants were wanted for execution as the world outside their forest was under the control of a power hungry genius. It was on days such as this that the children inhabiting the settlement played in the sunshine without a care in the world.

"Willow Nutkin you get down from there this instant!"

Or almost without a care in the world.

Hazel Nutkin cast a worried glance up at her eleven year old brother who was scrambling about in the branches of a tall oak tree, accompanied by a young fox a year younger than him several branches below. Willow proceeded to stick his head out from the leafy branches and poked a small pink tongue out at his sibling.

"I'm a squirrel, it's what we do!"

Hazel wrung the red scarf she was wearing in her hands. It was a nervous habit that she had developed some five years earlier.

"Just let the kid have some fun," a voice muttered behind her.

A lean, sullen looking hare, possibly a year or two older than the female squirrel, leant against a tree with his arms folded across his chest. There was a yellow Chao with cheetah markings beside him, trying to mirror his master's look of total apathy and failing dismally. Hazel put her hands on her hips and looked at him disapprovingly.

"There's more to life than fun, Buck. Some people actually have some purpose to their lives, unlike someone I can mention."

The hare looked back at her with a suggestion of a sneer on his long face before skalking away. The Chao looked at Hazel apologetically before he too was called away.

"Cheet!"

Hazel sighed and turned her attention back to her brother in the tree.

"Will, T.J, I'm going to count to three and if you're not down here then there's going to be serious trouble. One. Two..."

Meanwhile, inside the workshop, Tails was oblivious to the anxiety that his son and his playmate were causing while he worked intently on his mech. An upgrade of the Cyclone of old, this machine was sleek, streamlined and lethal to any bot that came too close. It was an integral part of their resistance to the Overlord, as it was the only piece of machinery that their force actually possessed and without it many more lives would have been lost than those that had already been taken. The letters S.A.R.K. were engraved into a panel in the cockpit, an everlasting reminder to the fox the exact reason he was fighting.

As if he could ever forget.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

A small vixen cub flung herself at her father with great gusto, her actions replacing the sombre look on Tails' face with a cheery smile.

"Emily, does your mother know that you're in here?"

Emily looked at her father through immense, sparkling grey eyes and nodded.

"Uh huh, and she told me to come and stop you working into the ground." She looked at him crytically. "But you're not in the ground."

Tails chuckled softly and ruffled the soft fur on the top of her head.

"It's an expression sweetheart. Come on, where's your brother?"

"Up a tree," Emily responded simply as Tails scooped her into his arms and hugged her.

"Tormenting Hazel again with Willow I suppose."

Emily giggled and snuggled into the fur on his chest. It was then that Tails noticed that his youngest was clutching something in her small gloved hand, something that looked like a piece of paper.

"What've you got there pumpkin?"

Emily wriggled and stuck the note under her father's nose.

"The funny lady gave it to me."

Tails tensed and looked down at her anxiously.

"Emily, how many times do I have to tell you that you have to stay away from strangers?" he snapped.

The little cub's face crumpled.

"Bu-but she said she that it was for you, and that it was very important I gived it to you."

Tails took the paper and whilst holding onto his daughter with one arm he inspected the message with his free hand.

_In case you were wondering, there's a search party going in search of the Master Emerald._

Tails' face fell.

"Daisy."

"I like daisies," Emily giggled, "they're so pretty..."

Tails put her down onto the ground and moved to the Tornado.

"Emily, can you tell Mommy something really important for me?"

She frowned.

"Maybe... Are you still angry wi' me?"

Tails wasn't in the mood for his daughter's games.

"Tell her that I've gone to Angel Island." 

"But Daddy," Emily whined.

Tails didn't answer and leapt into the cockpit, flicking the switches and immediately bringing the machine to life.

"This is important sweetheart, tell Mommy that I had to go!" he barked.

The engine roared into life and the mech sped from the building, leaving a very confused fox cub staring blankly at the space it had once occupied.

******

Branches whipped across her face as she ran, panting softly and looking back over her shoulder for her pursuer. She stumbled over an exposed tree root and swiftly righted herself, continuing on her path. The route sloped upwards slightly, and the gradual incline slowed her progress. Daylight became visible through the trees, and just as she scurried along the path towards safety...

It leapt at her from behind.

"OK OK, you found me! Argh, Hoshi, get off!"

Daisy's arms and legs flailed as she struggled to get free from the chokehold being issued by a small powder blue Chao who hugged her tightly.

"Hoshi, I mean it! Daisy can't breathe here..."

The Chao let go of her and snuggled up beside her, rubbing her head against the fifteen year old hedgehog's stomach. Daisy smiled and fondled the pink mane that had mysteriously appeared on the Chao's head. She had developed a small horn on her head shortly after she had hatched which had been swiftly joined by a tuft of pink hair around it. In Daisy's opinion, the creature bore a resemblance to one of the animals of legend she'd seen in one of Tikal's books, a unicorn or something like that.

The sun beamed down onto the pair, warming their bodies and slowly tanning the creamy flesh of the hedgehog's arms. A seagull wheeled overhead, screeching into the breeze and dipping down towards the sea. Daisy got up and brushed the dust off her skirt before walking towards the clifface. Hoshi followed her tentatively, and as the teenage hedgehog caught sight of the Chao following her, she broke back into a run. Hoshi bounded behind her, easily overtaking her companion and jumping up and down triumphantly as Daisy followed her up.

"Quit it, I can't help being slow," Daisy complained. "The last thing I need is for _you to remind me that I have as much running ability as a snail."_

She brushed a stray quill back into place and looked out across the ocean to the distant horizon.

"What do you suppose is out there Hosh?"

Hoshi looked up at her with a baffled look in her huge black eyes before her ears twitched.  There was a strange buzzing noise in the distance that caused the Chao to tug at Daisy's skirt and point impatiently into the distance. Daisy's eyes scanned the horizon and sure enough, a small black dot that had been there earlier was getting larger and larger. Hoshi sqeaked in alarm and beat a hasty retreat, followed by the hedgehog who lagged a fair distance behind. As she hit the underbrush, Daisy made for the nearest tree and swiftly scrambled up its branches, grabbing a whimpering Hoshi by the arm as she did so. She cradled the Chao against her body and then watched as the black dot began to morph into the strangest thing that the young Mobian had ever seen in her short life.

"What is that?"

It was a strange... thing, shaped like some kind of bird but at least ten times larger, and besides, birds didn't have firey tails.

_This is not something I like the look of, _Daisy thought instinctively. Her hand flicked down to her sandle where an ebony handled dagger was suspended in its sheath at her ankle. Hoshi peered over the edge of the branch, watching avidly as the 'bird' came closer. A question mark formed over her head to match her quizzical expression and the hedgehog beside her echoed her sentiments.

_I am not afraid of this, _the hedgehog told herself, despite her erratic heartbeat and her shaking hands.

Daizy stabilised her breathing and focused solely on the flying 'thing' and struggled to contain her gasp as it landed on the ground and developed a pair of wheels. She peered over the edge of the branch at the two robots and watched as they began to hover into the foliage of the forest.

_What if it's looking for the Master Emerald?_

Ever since the teenage hedgehog could remember, Tikal had been taking care of an immense gem that she called the Master Emerald. All that she had told Daisy was that it was very important and that many people wanted it, and she had also gone as far as to say that it was her duty to take care of it.

"But why?" the five year old Daisy had asked.

Tikal had stared at the green stone and lowered her eyes.

"Because I am the only one who can. It was the destiny of a... friend... of mine to guard it."

"So why doesn't your friend take care of it? Don't they like it?"

Tikal had sighed sadly (not that Daisy picked up on it) and touched the Master Emerald gently.

"He liked it very much, it's just that he cannot protect it now. He... he died."

"Like my parents?"

The echidna had nodded.

"Just like them."

Daisy knew how much the Master Emerald meant to her guardian and would do her best to protect her beloved Tikal and the jewel from that strange bird.

"C'mon Hoshi, let's keep an eye on those things."

******

Tikal sat outside her home, idly carressing the head of one of the newly hatched Chao babies. The rest of the colony sat around her, going about their business and occasionally coming up to the echidna for attention or showing off a new trick. She noticed that Hoshi wasn't with the rest, but that hardly surprised her. Daisy and Hoshi were inseparable, wherever one went the other was sure to follow.

Kotei had been paddling in a puddle and looked up suddenly, influencing his companion Koi to do the same. Tikal noted their reactions and followed their glance, her face freezing into a horrified mask of fear at the sight of two hover bots entering her clearing. She gasped and backed towards the house, clutching the baby Chao close to her whilst staring with terrified eyes at the intruders.

"Organic life force detected. Submit or face destruction. Suggestions of imminent Chaos energy: negative."

The cold, metallic voice echoed around the glade, causing many of the Chao to scatter into the undergrowth. Tikal knew at once what they were after and advanced towards her unwanted guests, depositing the baby on the ground behind her.

"I don't know what it is you think you're doing here, but I won't let you near the Master Emerald as long as there is breath in my body."

"Submit or face destruction."

The laser cannons beneath the hover-bots' shells were primed and locked onto their target. Tikal closed her eyes as the first shot was fired.

******

A small serpent of smoke rose above the treeline in time to cause the exhausted Daisy considerable alarm. Hoshi had already overtaken her and was out of sight, but the teen hedgehog was more concerned with the fire ahead than the Chao's whereabouts. Her heart grew heavier with every step she took, until with despair she realised exactly where the fire was.

Her home.

She sped up, mentally chiding herself for wasting so much energy with Hoshi in their races earlier. "Stupid, stupid stupid!" she growled, clenching her ungloved fists. "I should never have gone so far!"

She skidded to a halt as soon as she entered the clearing.

Two giant 'beetles' were lying in a smouldering pile in the centre of the glade, belching black smoke into the sky. Hoshi scampered up to her and pulled on her skirt, indicating wildly to the house and at Tikal. The strange 'bird' was there, but it was totally still and silent while the echidna was trembling beside a tall two tailed fox with a torn right ear and an eyepatch.

Daisy snapped.

"Aunt Tikal!"

Both Tikal and the fox jumped as the skinny young hedgehog lunged towards them, her dagger flashing in the sun as she attacked the stranger.

"Daisy stop that!" Tikal snapped, just as a firm grip was placed on the attacker's arm by her prey.

Daisy squirmed violently at the unwanted touch and clawed at the fox's with her blunt nails, snarling like a tiger.

"I can't believe how much you've grown."

The hedgehog stopped suddenly and blinked in surprise, but her emerald green eyes remained narrowed all the same.

"Who are you?"

"Miles Prower, and I am very pleased to meet you, Daisy Hedgehog."

_to be continued_

****** 

For those of you interested, the Chao look like this:

Hoshi: Baby Angel - unicorn features.

Kotei: Adult Angel Swimmer - seal flippers, unicorn ears

Megami: Adult Angel Flyer- phoenix features

Kami: Sky Blue Angel Runner- blue racoon paws

Koi: Adult Angel Swimmer- no animals

Cheet: Yellow Neutral Runner- cheetah features

Koorime: Purple Dark Flyer- bear paws, vulture wings.


End file.
